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Signatures on this item | |
*The value given for each signature has been calculated by us based on the historical significance and rarity of the signature. Values of many pilot signatures have risen in recent years and will likely continue to rise as they become more and more rare. | |
Name | Info |
Captain Donald Mac McKibben *Signature Value : £25 | Don McKibben was one of the original cadre of pilots with the 352nd Fighter Group. He flew 80 combat missions with the 486th Fighter Squadron in P-47s and P-51s until September 1944. He flew the famous P-51 'Miss Lace' and with the others of the 486th took part in the first shuttle mission to Russia led by Don Blakeslee of the 4th Fighter Group. McKibben is credited with 2 aerial victories and 1 probable. |
Captain George Middleton *Signature Value : £25 | Joining the 352nd Fighter Group in March 1944, George flew 85 combat sorties with them until the end of hostilities in May 1945. He flew P-51 'Worra Bird', and acted as wingman to both George Preddy and Don Bryan on many occasions. George is credited with 2 aerial victories. |
Captain Robert Punchy Powell (deceased) *Signature Value : £45 | Punchy Powell joined the 328th Fighter Squadron of the 352nd Fighter Group in August 1943 and flew 83 combat missions with them in P-47s and P-51s until the end of his tour in December 1944. His P-51 was 'The West by gawd Virginian'. He was credited with sharing in the destruction of 2 enemy aircraft in aerial combat plus 3 damaged, and destroying 3.5 enemy aircraft on the ground, plus 2 probables while strafing enemy airfields. He died on 22nd June 2016. |
Corporal Howard Polin *Signature Value : £25 | Howard deployed to England in April 1944, and was posted to Bodney as part of the 18th Weather Squadron, attached to the 352nd Fighter Group, where he served until the end of the war. |
First Lieutenant Walter Jack Diamond *Signature Value : £25 | Jack Diamond joined the 487th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group in October 1944 and flew P-51 Mustang 'Twyla Sue' with them until the end of the war. He was one of the few pilots who not only managed to get airborne during the Luftwaffes 1945 New Years Day onslaught of Operation Bodenplatte, but scored an aerial victory and damaged another as well. |
Lt Charles M Price *Signature Value : £25 | Assigned to the 486th Fighter Squadron at Bodney, Charles Price arrived in England in December 1944. He undertook his first combat mission in his P-51 'Little Skunk' on 6th February 1945, and went on to complete a total of 27 before the end of hostilities. He is credited with 3 enemy aircraft destroyed on the ground. |
Lt Col Donald S Bryan (deceased) *Signature Value : £40 | Originally a P-40 instructor with the 79th Fighter Squadron, 20th Fighter Group, Don Bryan then transferred to the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group as a flight leader flying P-47s. Moving to Bodney, England, in June, he flew with the group on its first combat mission in September, flying his P-47 'Little One', named after his girlfriend Frances Norman. In April 1944, he transferred to P-51s, 'Little One II' and 'Little One III', and completed his first combat tour in May 1944. He returned to the 328th Fighter Squadron in August, became an Ace two months later, and gained 'Ace in a Day' status on 2nd November when he downed five Fw190s in a single mission. Don flew 140 combat missions, never lost a wingman, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, second only to the Medal of Honor. Lt Col Bryan died on 15th May 2012. |
Lt Col Raymond R Mitchell *Signature Value : £25 | Ray Mitchell flew 69 combat missions with the 328th Fighter Squadron, 352nd Fighter Group from August 1944 until late April 1945, his P-51 was 'Carol'. He flew as George Preddys wingman many times and was in his flight on 25th December 1944 when Preddy was killed by friendly ground fire chasing after an enemy aircraft. ray is credited with 1 aerial victory. |
Master Sergeant Ralph McLain *Signature Value : £20 | Ralph McLain was attached to the 352nd Fighter Group as a Radar Operator from their arrival in England until the end of the war. After the war he flew as aircrew on P-36s and B-52s as a Radar and Electronic Countermeasure specialist. |
Staff Sergeant Art Snyder *Signature Value : £20 | Serving with the 352nd Fighter Group from 1942 to 1945, Art Snyder was George Preddys greatly respected crew chief who kept his P-51 'Cripes A Mighty' flying to perfection, invaluable to Preddy as the highest scoring P-51 Ace in the Eighth Air Force. Art also doubled as the units barber, often decorating Preddys Mustang with a small barbers pole to the right hand engine nacelle. |
Staff Sergeant Bill Straub *Signature Value : £15 | Deploying to England in July 1943, Bill Straub was assigned to the 487th Fighter Squadron, where he served as an aircraft and engine mechanic until September 1945. |
Staff Sergeant James Bleidner *Signature Value : £25 | James Bleidner was an armourer in the 487th Fighter Squadron in England from July 1943 to August 1945. |
The Aircraft : | |
Name | Info |
Mustang | The ubiquitous North American P-51 Mustang, which many consider to be the best all-around fighter of WW II, owes its origins to the British Air Ministry. Following Britains entry into WW II in 1939, the RAF was interested in purchasing additional fighter aircraft from American sources, particularly the Curtiss P-40. Curtiss, which was busy, was unable to guarantee timely delivery so the British approached North American Aviation as a possible second source for the P-40. North American chose to propose its own fighter design which would use the same Allison engine as the P-40. Utilizing new laminar flow wings, the North American fighter was expected to have performance better than the P-40. Developed in record time the new aircraft was designated as a Mustang I by the Brits, whereas the USAAF ordered two for evaluation which were designated XP-51 Apaches. Intrigued with the possibility of using this aircraft also as a dive bomber, North American proposed this to the USAAF which decided to order 500 of the P-51 aircraft to be modified for dive bombing use. Designated as the A-36 Invader, this version of the Mustang utilized dive flaps, and bomb racks under each wing. Some reinforcing of the structural members was also required because of the G-forces to be encountered in dive bombing. A-36s entered combat service with the USAAF prior to any P-51s. In early 1943 the 86th and 27th Fighter Bomber Groups of the 12th Air Force began flying A-36s out of Northern Africa. Despite some early problems with instability caused by the dive flaps, the A-36 was effective in light bombing and strafing roles. It was not, however, capable of dog fighting with German fighters, especially at higher altitudes. Despite these drawbacks one USAAF pilot, Captain Michael T. Russo, who served with the 16th Bomb Squadron of the 27th Fighter Bomber Group, was credited with five confirmed aerial victories in the A-36, thereby becoming the first mustang ace. |
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